Informations:

Synopis, Cast etc.

The Square is a 2017 Swedish satirical drama film directed by Ruben Östlund and starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and Terry Notary.[3] The film is about publicity surrounding an art installation, and was partly inspired by an installation Östlund and producer Kalle Boman had made. It was shot in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Berlin.

The film was entered into the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews and won the Palme d’Or.

Plot

In the aftermath of the abolition of the Monarchy of Sweden, the Stockholm Palace has been converted into an art museum. Christian is a curator at the museum, who finds his progressive world view shaken when his mobile phone is stolen. While managing a space set to show a new installation piece, he finds a public relations company to promote the installation, creating a great deal of chaos.

Cast

Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West star.

Claes Bang as Christian

Elisabeth Moss as Anne

Dominic West as Julian Gijoni

Terry Notary as Oleg

Christopher Læssø as Michael

Production

Development

The story for the film was conceived when director Ruben Östlund and producer Kalle Boman entered an installation into the Vandalorum Museum in Värnamo in 2014.[4] In their artists’ statement, they wrote “The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it we all share equal rights and obligations.”[4]

In one scene, a man with Tourette’s syndrome yells at a reporter. Östlund said this was inspired by a true incident at a Swedish theatre, and was depicted without fear of insensitivity, since he said all people are satirized in his work.[5] The beginning of the film was also inspired by a true incident, when in Gothenburg Östlund saw a woman run to a man, saying someone was going to kill her. Another man arrived and yelled. It turned out to be a ploy, in which Östlund’s cellphone was stolen.[6] While working on the screenplay, Östlund visited numerous art galleries.[7]

The budget was $5.5 million.[8] Financial support was provided by the Swedish Film Institute, which awarded the project 11 million SEK,[9] and the Danish Film Institute, which awarded 1 million DKK.[10]

Casting

Danish actor Claes Bang learned of the project through Tanja Grunwald, who was from Denmark and casting The Square. Bang attended three auditions, involving much improvisation.[11] After assembling much of his cast in auditions around the Nordic countries, Östlund, mindful of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment’s desire for him to make an English-language film, contacted BAFTA in London. This led to Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West joining the cast.[7] Östlund said it was challenging for Moss and West to adapt to Swedish direction, but they eventually adjusted.[5]

Terry Notary, a U.S. actor who plays Oleg, a character who acts like an ape, was cast based on his experience with Planet of the Apes. Östlund discovered Notary after running a Google search for “actor imitating monkey” and viewing one of Notary’s performances.[7]